The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-10
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

is question which have frequently asked
of those who are busy with the tongue of
SANDER in eliminating the Latter day
Saints; but as yet have found none who are
willing to answer me honestly, or corr city
Perhaps many judge from rumors, not hav-
ing Investigated the matter themselves. l
have, therefore, thought it might be we'll to
lay before the public some facts in relation
to the case, believing that there is q respec-
table portion of the community, who, after
having received correct information, will
froWn with Indignation upon the conduct of
those who are endeavoring to raise perse-
cution against our people.
In the first place we would say that where
a crime is committed, there is law broken,
for if no law has been viol ted. there cannot
have been crime committed: If then, our
people have broken the laws, is there not
power in those laws to Yind1cate themselves,
or to redress the wrongs of those who are
injured? We say there is; neither would we
cast any aspersionS upon the characters of
the administrators OF the laws, as though
they were not Vigilant in the discharge of
their duty. We be ieYe they have been with
very few eXceptiOns.)
With these facts be ore us. there is no diff
Guilty in obtaining correct information as to
the amount of crime cnmmittel by the Nor
mons throughout the Stale. You have only
to refer to the various dockets kept by the
admins rators OF law, from the highest
court to the lowest, throughout the length
ana breadth OF the land, and there you will
| find recorded the crimes of the Mormons, if
| 1t SO We that they have committed any. We
say their faults are few compared TO the
| population; where is there a record or muir
der committed by any OF our people? none in
! the State; where is there q record against any
| OF our people for penitentiaTy crime? not
in the State; where is there record of fine
| or county imprisonment for any breach OF
| law against any of the Latterdsy Saints? 1
| know of none in the state. Iftnen they nave
| broken no law, they consequ ntlyR have
tax en- away no mans ghts, they have in
! fringed upon no mans liberties. We have
| been three years in this state, and have
not asked for any county or State officer;
| laws have been admin stered by those not OF
our persuasion; administered vigorously,
even against the appearance OF crime, and
! yet there has been no conviction of which |
| have read.
Where is there another community OF
! 10000 in any State, against none OF whom
there is record of conviction for crime in
any court during the space of three years?
And yet there are those who cry out, trea-
son murder! bigamy !! burglaryl!! aIson!!!
| and everything that is evil, without being
able to refer to a single case that has ever
been proved against the Mormons
| This then must be the head and front of
our offending." That by industry in both
spiritual and temporal things, we are be-
| coming a great and numerous people; we
convert our thousands and tens of thousands
yearly to the light of truth; TO the glorious
! liberty of the gospel of Christ; we bring
thousands from foreign lands, from under
the yoke of oppression, and the iron mana OF
poverty, and we place them in situation
where they can sustain themselves; which
is the highest act of charity toward the pOOrY
We dry the widows tear, we fl the orphans
hand with bread, we clOthe the naked; we
teach them principles OF morality and
righteousness, and they rel ice in the God OF
Abraham and in the Holy One of Israeli and
are happy Thus it is with the honest IN
heart; but when the wicked creep IN among
US for evils, TO trample upon the most holy
and yirtuous principles. and ind our moral
and religious laws too strict for them, tney
cry out delusioD, false prophets, speculatlon
oppression, illegal ordinances, usurpauon Oh
power. treason against ths government, etc.
You must have your charters taken away ;
Won have dared to pass an ordinance against
fornicators and sduterers' you have forbi q
the vending of spiritupus liquors WITHIN
vonr oity: YOU have pa sed an ordinance
against Migrants a. d1 orderly persons,
with many other high handed acts; YOU even
threaten to vote az the next election, ana
may be lat least we tear) you WIN seuu q
. doings we the good mobocras ana anti
Mormon politicians land some priests as
weID are willing 10 bear.
This is the cry of the base and vile, the
priest aud the speculatoT, but the noble, the
high-minded, the patriotic aud the yirtuouss,
breathe no such sentiments nelther VIII
those who feel an interest In the ate, lor
who does not know that 10 increase the POI,
| ul6tiOn 10000 year Win the AOst 4HuuoI
Gus peopie in the world, to tnous iuds OF
dollars of taxes, to bring into the State I'm,
mense sums of gold and silver from all
countries to establ sh he greatest manuIae,
turing city in Am rica (Which NauVoo VIII
be in a few years. and to crea the pest pro,
duce market in the community al large anu
the State of Illinois in particular.
As 10 he city ordinances, we nave passsu
all such as we deemed necessary Tor inc
peace, welfare and happiness OF the lnhsDt
: tants, whether Jew. or Greek, Monsmmeoan,
: Roman Catholic, Latter-day SAINT. OF az az
other; thai they all worship Goo accoralns
to their own conscience, and enjoy the rlgh''
of American freemen. u
NAUvoo, June 18th, 1912.
This article was written month 9ltei
John G. Bennett had been oisIeno"
shipped, and subsequent to the eAR %ss
ures" of that notorious indIVloual. ine
recent utterances of DIR. Law are les'
violent than those of Bennett, but en-
brace the same charges.
If the foregoing article OF III. La"
had any special object in view, II II "ert
called out by any contemporaries
event, we should say in view OF us case
that the object was to enter geheLat